Associate’s Degrees in Design & Applied Arts
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Education Levels of Design Majors
In 2018-2019, 8,485 earned their associate's degree in design. This makes it the 18th most popular associate's degree program in the country.
The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in design at each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Bachelor’s Degree | 19,137 |
Associate’s Degree | 8,485 |
Basic Certificate | 4,140 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 2,329 |
Master’s Degree | 1,894 |
Graduate Certificate | 169 |
Doctor’s Degree | 25 |
Earnings of Design Majors With Associate’s Degrees
The median salary for graduates holding an associate's degree in design is $21,900. This number may vary for a lot of reasons. For instance, you may decide to move to a location where people with your degree are rare and make more money.
To get a better picture, earnings for this category of people can range from a low of $19,900 to a high of $24,050.

Student Debt
The median student debt for graduates holding an associate's degree in design is $19,213. The school you go to and how long it takes you to graduate, among other things, can cause this number to vary.
The chart below shows the range of accumulated debt loads. On the high side of the range, $24,435 is the debt load, and the debt load on the low side is $12,000.

The median monthly payment of a design graduate with a 10-year repayment plan is $200.
Student Diversity
More women than men pursue their associate's degree in design. About 65.9% of graduates with this degree are female.
Gender | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Men | 2,894 |
Women | 5,591 |

The racial-ethnic distribution of design associate’s degree students is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 558 |
Black or African American | 712 |
Hispanic or Latino | 1,570 |
White | 4,380 |
International Students | 566 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 699 |

Most Popular Design Programs for Associate’s Degrees
There are 512 colleges that offer an associate’s degree in design. Learn more about the most popular 20 below:
The most popular school in the United States for design students seekingan associate's degree is Fashion Institute of Technology. Roughly 8,700 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,070 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $11,542 per year.
The design program at Fashion Institute of Technology awarded 805 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 45% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 83% were women.
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in design. Each year, around 2,200 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $31,362 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $40,870 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 374 associate's degrees were handed out to design majors at FIDM Los Angeles. About 88% of this group were women, and 39% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 3rd most popular school in the country for design majors who are seeking their associate's degree is The New School. Each year, around 10,500 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $49,770 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $46,710 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 183 people received their associate's degree in design from New School University. Around 20% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 86% were women.
Ivy Tech Community College is the 4th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in design. Each year, around 72,000 students seeking various degrees attend the university. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 116 associate's degrees were handed out to design majors at Ivy Tech Community College. Around 19% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 53% were women.
Montgomery College comes in at #5 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in design. Roughly 21,700 attend the school each year. The design program at Montgomery College awarded 100 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. About 50% of this group were women, and 54% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Madison Area Technical College is the 6th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in design. Roughly 15,200 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $4,095 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $4,095 per year.
The design program at Madison Area Technical College awarded 98 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 62% were women and 21% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Macomb Community College comes in at #7 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in design. Each year, around 20,200 students seeking various degrees attend the university. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 91 people received their associate's degree in design from Macomb Community College. Of these students, 57% were women and 14% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 8th most popular school in the country for design majors who are seeking their associate's degree is The Modern College of Design. Roughly 200 attend the school each year. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 80 people received their associate's degree in design from The Modern College of Design. Around 5% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 76% were women.
The 9th most popular school in the country for design majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Portland Community College. Each year, around 27,000 students seeking various degrees attend the university. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 79 people received their associate's degree in design from Portland Community College. About 70% of this group were women, and 27% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Monroe Community College comes in at #10 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in design. Roughly 12,200 attend the school each year. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 73 people received their associate's degree in design from Monroe Community College. About 59% of this group were women, and 29% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 10th most popular school in the country for design majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Kingsborough Community College. Roughly 15,000 attend the school each year. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 73 people received their associate's degree in design from KCC. About 55% of this group were women, and 63% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Wake Technical Community College comes in at #12 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in design. Each year, around 21,800 students seeking various degrees attend the university. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 72 associate's degrees were handed out to design majors at Wake Technical Community College. About 35% of this group were women, and 29% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Johnson County Community College comes in at #13 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in design. Roughly 18,300 attend the school each year. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 71 associate's degrees were handed out to design majors at JCCC. About 54% of this group were women, and 20% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 13th most popular school in the country for design majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Full Sail University. Roughly 20,100 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $20,667 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $14,498 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 71 people received their associate's degree in design from Full Sail University. Around 42% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 59% were women.
Suffolk County Community College comes in at #15 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in design. Roughly 26,000 attend the school each year. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 69 people received their associate's degree in design from Suffolk County Community College. Of these students, 58% were women and 33% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
New England Institute of Technology is the 16th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in design. Each year, around 2,700 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $29,100 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $13,320 per year.
The design program at New England Institute of Technology awarded 65 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. About 38% of this group were women, and 15% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Seattle Central College comes in at #17 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in design. Roughly 6,800 attend the school each year. The design program at Seattle Central College awarded 64 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 70% were women and 38% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Central Piedmont Community College comes in at #18 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in design. Each year, around 18,800 students seeking various degrees attend the university. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 63 associate's degrees were handed out to design majors at Central Piedmont Community College. Of these students, 51% were women and 35% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 19th most popular school in the country for design majors who are seeking their associate's degree is College of DuPage. Each year, around 24,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 62 associate's degrees were handed out to design majors at COD. Of these students, 66% were women and 37% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Platt College - San Diego comes in at #20 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in design. Roughly 100 attend the school each year. The design program at Platt College - San Diego awarded 61 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 31% were women and 56% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
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Related Majors
Below are some popular majors that are similar to design that offer associate’s degrees.
Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Fine & Studio Arts | 4,063 |
Music | 2,436 |
Drama & Theater Arts | 1,667 |
General Visual & Performing Arts | 1,563 |
Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 1,552 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minority student count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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